Chapter three

The bar they went to was dark and crowded. Emma managed to grab a booth by kicking a college student out of the way as he tried to dive for it, and Regina followed her into it with a small smile on her face.

"Sorry," Emma said as they settled down opposite one another. "Is this too loud? We can go somewhere else if you want."

"It's fine," Regina said, looking around her at the chaos. The bar was filled with people who were all 15 years younger than her, but she found she didn't care all that much. Just being out at 11pm on a Wednesday was exciting enough to make her feel like she belonged. "Do you come here a lot?"

"Not really – I've been once or twice, but I'm starting to get a bit old for it."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "And how old are you, exactly?"

"I'm 28," Emma said, pausing before she asked, "How about you?"

Regina's cheeks had already turned pink. "I'm not sure I should say."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not 28."

"Do I look like I care about that?" Emma asked. She suddenly grinned. "We can play a guessing game, if you like."

"No, definitely not," Regina recoiled. "Fine. I'm 37."

Emma just smiled. "Good to know."

"Does it bother you?"

"Absolutely not," Emma replied. She said it so adamantly that Regina didn't even consider not believing her.

"Good," Regina said, smiling back at her. "I mean, not that it matters. It's not like we're… you know. Anything."

Emma couldn't help but laugh at that. If this were another day, or if she were with someone else, maybe she would have been concerned that they didn't want to do anything with her either. But there was a neediness in Regina's eyes that she hadn't seen in anyone for a while, so she wasn't concerned about her real intentions – Emma wasn't conceited, but she also wasn't blind.

"True. I guess we're not."

Regina's next smile was slightly more awkward, and Emma tried to rein things back in.

"You know," she said, tilting her head to one side. "It's a little weird that this is the first time I've ever seen you with clothes on."

There was a pause as Regina absorbed this, and then she was tipping her head back and laughing. "Don't say that. People might hear you."

"Relax – no one thinks we're having a torrid affair. They'd never believe it, anyway."

"Why not?"

"Well. Because, look at you," Emma said, gesturing to Regina's perfectly pressed shirt. It somehow matched both her lipstick and her glass of wine, and it was tucked into a high-waisted black skirt. "You're a solid 10. I'm a six on a good day, and today is not one of those days."

Although Regina flushed with pleasure at the compliment, she said, "A six? Don't be so ridiculous."

"Oh yeah? Where would you rank me, then?"

"You know full well you're a 10," Regina said without a moment's hesitation.

"That's a weak answer," Emma replied. "You're out of my league."

"9.5, then. I won't go any lower."

Emma was pretty sure she must have charcoal on her face again, and her hair was knotty and she was wearing a plain grey sweater that did absolutely nothing to flatter her figure. Regina didn't sound like she was lying, though, and her gaze was intense and sincere.

"If you say so," Emma shrugged, hoping that her pleasure wasn't too obvious. "So. Tell me about yourself."

Regina smiled tentatively. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything?" Emma suggested. "I know literally nothing about you."

"You know my name."

"Only the first part."

Regina smirked and reached into her purse. Emma was a little startled when she was handed a business card.

"Regina Mills, freelance legal advisor," Emma read it. "Wow. I was way off."

"How do you mean?"

Emma blushed furiously when she realised what she'd just blurted out.

"Okay – look, don't judge me too hard. But when you never called, I started trying to find you on LinkedIn."

"How did you do that without my surname?"

"I just started searching for jobs I thought you might have, but I totally failed. Even I didn't think you'd do something as fancy as this."

"It's not fancy," Regina said, but she looked pleased.

"Did you go to law school?"

"Yes."

"And do you have a billion leather-bound legal books at home?"

"Yes…"

"Right. Then it's fancy."

Regina just shook her head, laughing. "And what do you do, that's so unimpressive in comparison?"

"I'm a bail bondsperson."

"Really?" Regina asked, leaning forward. "I'm surprised we haven't run into each other in court."

"I tend to stay as far away from court as possible," Emma said. "I'm only there if something's gone really wrong."

"And it doesn't often?"

"Not usually. I've gotten good at it," Emma shrugged. "How about you? How come you ended up being a freelance legal advisor instead of a normal lawyer?"

The awkward silence that followed was not lost on Emma. Regina was watching her carefully, like she was trying to decide something.

"It's a long story," she eventually said.

"I've got time," Emma replied. "I know it's a school night, but I can stay out as late as I want these days."

Regina laughed, rolling her eyes. "Fine – I'll give you the cliff notes version."

She still took a breath before she started talking, though. Emma edged forward in her chair so she wouldn't miss a word.

"So… I met my husband at college," Regina started. Emma flinched immediately, then plastered on a big, fake smile that wouldn't have convinced anyone. Regina quickly corrected herself. "Ex-husband, I should say."

"Oh," Emma sagged with relief. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Regina smiled wryly over the top of her wine glass. "It's fine – we've been divorced for a year and I'm not sorry about it. But, anyway, we met at college, and we got married pretty soon after we graduated. Then I went to law school with every intention of becoming a human rights lawyer, but… plans changed."

Emma frowned, watching as Regina pulled her phone out of her purse.

She slid it across the table toward Emma and said, "His name's Henry."

Regina's wallpaper was a photo of her and a young boy with shaggy brown hair. Regina's chin was resting on the top of his head and her arms were wrapped around his shoulders. They were both grinning into the camera.

"Wow," Emma said. She thought back to the faint stretch marks she'd noticed, relieved that at least this time her face didn't betray her shock. "He's really cute. How old is he?"

"He's 10," Regina said, taking the phone back and smiling down at it. "He was totally unplanned, but he's the best thing to have ever happened to me. But it did throw a bit of a spanner in the works with regards to my career."

"How so?"

Regina's expression changed then. It didn't get darker, exactly – it more went flat.

"I fell pregnant when I was 26, right after I graduated law school. I was just starting out at a law firm and everything was going fine, but as soon as I knew I was expecting, Robin said I should quit."

"Robin's your ex, I'm guessing?"

"He is. He had a good job at his dad's forestry firm cutting down half the rainforest," Regina said, rolling her eyes like she was only just realising how stupid this was, "and he said I should quit law, raise Henry, and then work part time once he was a bit older."

"And you did it?"

Regina almost looked sorry as she admitted, "Yes. I didn't… I didn't think I had any other choice."

"Right," Emma said. It was all she could say. "So, what happened?"

"I got bored," Regina smiled playfully. "Henry was a dreadful baby, but he was an excellent toddler and I ended up with more free time than I'd been expecting. I couldn't leave him by himself, but I could work freelance a few hours a day and look after him at the same time."

"And then you stuck with it?"

"I did. I realised that being a human rights lawyer was a very grand and noble ambition, but it's also a flooded market. The people who actually needed my help were right here in Boston, and no one was looking after them because they were all too busy trying to save the world instead."

Emma's heart went warm at that. "That's really great, Regina."

"Not really," Regina shrugged. "I don't get paid much for it, but I get a lot of alimony since I have custody of Henry and Robin broke up the marriage by cheating on me with his secretary, and I inherited my house from my parents. I'm happy with where I am."

There was a whole lot of stuff to be unpacked there, but Emma was pretty certain now wasn't the right time to do it. Instead, she leaned her chin on her hand and asked, "So, what kind of people do you help?"

"All kinds. Young mothers trying to escape abusive spouses is unfortunately a common one, but I think my name's gotten around. They all seem to come to me."

"Do you mind that?"

"No," Regina said firmly. "Even when they can't pay me anything, I'm glad they come to me."

"You do it for free?"

"Sometimes. Usually clients find me via the state or a court, but occasionally they hear about me from a friend and email me some questions. I'm not about to turn them away."

"Wow," Emma said softly. "That's amazing."

Regina heard the awe in her voice and smiled. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a superhero, Miss…?"

Her sentence trailed off there, and Emma frowned. "What?"

"Your surname. What is it?"

"Oh," Emma said. "Swan. Emma Swan."

"Miss Swan," Regina said, trying it out. She obviously liked it, because she grinned.

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Just Emma is fine. We're not in court now, you know."

"Oh, I know. But I like to use people's surnames – it shows you remember them."

For some reason, that made Emma blush.

"You're weird," she said as she took a tip of her drink. "But I'm glad we're here."

"You are?"

"Mm," Emma replied. Maybe it was because it was late and she was tired, or maybe it was because Regina had just told her something so spectacularly perfect that she wanted to rip her clothes off right then, but she took a deep breath and said, "I've been kind of fascinated by you since the first day you showed up in class."

She was expecting Regina to look taken aback by that admission, but she didn't. She beamed. "Really?"

"Yeah. Not that some of our other models aren't interesting or attractive, or whatever, but when you walked in I nearly died of gay panic."

Regina chuckled, and then she asked a brave question of her own. "You're gay, then?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing you're not?"

It was a simple enough question, since Regina had married a man and obviously liked him enough to raise a child with him. But Regina paused, her nose wrinkling.

"I'm… not sure," she said eventually. "I guess that remains to be seen."

That sounded weirdly like a promise, and Emma felt a throb of excitement between her legs.

"Right," she stammered, looking down at her glass. "Been there."

"You have?"

"Well, yeah. I went through all of high school assuming I didn't have a boyfriend because I was the weirdo foster kid with all the rage issues, but eventually I realised that there was a really different reason."

"You're a foster kid?"

Emma winced slightly. "Oh – yeah. Sorry. I don't normally blurt that out within 10 minutes of meeting someone."

"You've known me for a few weeks now," Regina said, nudging her leg under the table. The feeling of her foot tapping against her shin made Emma's entire body tingle. "You get a free pass."

She was smiling so openly and without any expectation whatsoever. For some reason, that was exactly the thing to make Emma open her mouth again.

"My parents abandoned me outside a diner," she said. "I was six hours old. I only didn't die because some kid found me."

Emma watched the shock flicker over Regina's face. She rarely told this story to anyone, so it was something she didn't get to bask in very often.

"Oh," Regina said. "God. That's… I'm sorry."

Regina's whole body had gone cold, and when Emma just shrugged back at her it only made her feel worse.

"It's okay. I didn't turn out too badly," she said. "Anyway, I was in the system until I was 18. It was a rough few years to say the least."

"I bet," Regina said, the horror still all too audible in her voice. She thought about the stories she'd come across during her work – the abuse, the neglect, and even in the very best cases, the abandonment issues that came from years of feeling like absolutely no one wanted you. Regina had grown up in a loveless household, but even she couldn't imagine what that must feel like. "I'm so sorry, Emma."

She sounded so sincere, and Emma couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago, and it made me really good at self-preservation. I take that as a good thing."

It was a crappy silver lining as silver linings went, but Regina forced herself to smile back at her. "That's definitely something."

"Don't look so sad for me," Emma said. She wanted to return Regina's earlier foot nudge, but when she shifted position she realised that their legs were still pressed together under the table. The realisation made her throat tighten. "I'm perfectly normal, right?"

"Well. I wouldn't go that far," Regina smirked. "But I suppose it now makes a bit more sense why you're incapable of arriving to class on time."

"Excuse me, but I was only late once."

"That I saw."

Emma paused before admitting, "Yeah, okay. That you saw."

It was worth making a total fool out of herself just to be on the receiving end of Regina's wicked smiles.

"Tell me something else about yourself," Regina said.

"Err. I'm not sure what else there is to say."

"Where did you go to college?"

"I… didn't."

"How did you get into art?"

Emma hesitated. "I don't really know. It was just one of those things I did in the foster homes to relieve a bit of tension, and even though I was never amazing at it, I always really loved it."

"You're very talented," Regina said. Emma shrugged.

"Not really. I'm okay, but I know I'm nothing special. I just go because I enjoy it."

"Why did you choose life drawing over something else?"

Emma's smile was finally a bit more genuine. "Because people are the most interesting. I know Eugenia likes to rotate models so we get practice drawing different body types, but I actually prefer it when the same person comes back over and over again – I love seeing new details and learning more about people just from drawing them."

"Oh really?" Regina asked, her eyes suddenly glinting with a challenge. "What have you learned about me?"

Emma hesitated, flicking through the entire catalogue of stuff she'd picked up on: the fact that Regina was a mother; the fact that she was deeply nervous about being naked in front of so many people; the fact that she loved Emma's gaze on her enough to forgo payment entirely.

Regina was watching her with expectation all over her face, and Emma knew she couldn't settle on something simple.

"That you're not straight," Emma answered. Regina immediately choked on her wine.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on. I think you'd already worked that much out," Emma said. "I'm not saying you're not still interested in men, but you're definitely also interested in women."

Struggling to regain some of her composure, Regina said, "Well, you certainly think a lot of yourself, Miss Swan."

"No, I don't," Emma said calmly. "You just look at me the same way I've been looking at you."

Regina wasn't used to people reading her so well. In fact, she wasn't even used to people paying proper attention to her. Her son loved her dearly, but he was 10 and rarely had any idea what was going on in her life, and she spent so little time with anyone else that it often felt like no one knew her at all. Tamara was the exception to that rule, but she'd been friends with Regina for years and was also insufferably nosey rather than insightful. It was disorientating to sit opposite someone who'd only been talking to her for an hour but had already burrowed a little below the surface.

Emma frowned. "Did I cross a line?"

"No," Regina said. "Not at all. I'm just surprised by your perceptiveness."

"You've heard of gaydar, right?"

"Yes, Miss Swan. I just didn't realise yours had the power of a nuclear submarine."

Emma snorted into her drink. "You're making me out to be some kind of lesbian crusader."

"Aren't you?" Regina asked. She didn't even sound like she was teasing – she was looking down at Emma's strong shoulders and toned arms, which were somehow visible even under her baggy sweater, and it sort of seemed like she might be being serious.

"Nope," Emma replied. "I'm nothing. Just me."

"You're you, but you're definitely not nothing."

Regina's leg bumped against hers again, slightly firmer this time, and Emma had to resist the urge to slide under the table and push her thighs apart. She could feel her face going red as she said, "You don't know anything about me."

"I know," Regina said simply, her lips quirking upward. "But I want to."

Emma felt slightly disoriented when they left the bar, even though she'd only had one drink. Regina, meanwhile, had gotten a whole new batch of confidence from somewhere, and it was dizzying. By the time she suggested they leave and give the college kids their booth back, she looked five inches taller.

They walked outside together and began to slowly amble away from the way. They weren't touching or speaking, but the air between them was thick. Emma wished she didn't have to go home. It was just gone midnight and all her earlier exhaustion had vanished – all she wanted to do right then was find another place where she could sit opposite Regina and watch her dark eyes flashing.

Two seconds later, she realised that Regina felt the same.

"Come back to mine."

Emma tripped over out of sheer shock. "Sorry?"

Regina stopped walking and turned to look at her. "Should I have said please?"

"No – I just…" Emma paused to take a breath. "You mean, for another drink?"

Her heartbeat was shaking her from the inside and her palms were already sweaty, and she prayed that Regina was asking her what she hoped she was.

For a second, Regina looked disappointed by the question. Then she saw the gleam in Emma's eye and said casually, "If you like."

It was a halfway point between 'Yes, just come in for a drink' and 'No, I want to fuck your brains out on my sofa', so Emma just nodded. Her voice was rusty when she said, "Yes. Please."

"Excellent. Do you trust me to drive us home after one glass of wine, or should I call a cab?"

Emma couldn't imagine anything worse than having to wait for a cab to arrive, so she chose the former. The drive was mostly silent, but Emma only felt uncomfortable because her panties kept bunching against her wet pussy and she couldn't do anything to peel them off.

It felt like Regina knew this, because she had a smirk on her face even though nothing funny had been said. Inside, though, she felt like she was vibrating. Thick need was coursing through her and she couldn't remember ever feeling that before – she felt like she was about to come apart at the seams from the sheer need to wrap herself around Emma's body.

Under that, though, were nerves. A lot of them.

She took a deep breath when Emma wasn't looking and pulled into her street. It was suburban and silent, and she felt Emma shift beside her.

"You live here?" she asked as they pulled onto the driveway of a large white house.

"I do."

"Is your son home?"

"Not tonight. The friend who bullied me into doing the life modelling is watching him for me."

"Right," Emma nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Good friend."

"Some days more than others. Today, though, she's in my good books." She hopped out of the car before Emma could question her on that statement.

As they walked up to the house, Regina could hear Emma stumbling along behind her. Every footstep made her mouth dry out. As thick as the desire in her abdomen was, she was starting to doubt whether she could do this. She wasn't the type.

She had no idea what Emma wanted from her, although it was fair to assume that she wouldn't say no to spending the night in her bed. But as much as she thought she might want that too, she had no idea what that would mean tomorrow. Would she never speak to Emma again? Would they end up dating? Would she had to go and buy herself a Pride flag and roam the streets of Boston pretending to finally like herself?

It was all too easy to descend into a spiral of panic, and when they were inside and she shut the front door behind them, she looked up to find Emma watching her worriedly.

"What?" Regina asked, her voice catching.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Do you want a drink?"

"Not really," Emma said. "What's wrong?"

Regina considered lying. It was definitely the easiest thing to do. But a large part of her didn't want to do that – not only because she felt like it would be a bad start to a potentially great thing, but because she already knew that Emma deserved better.

She groaned and leaned her head back against the door. "I've only slept with two men."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "What? How?"

"Do you want the specifics?"

"No – I mean, how is that possible? You're…" Emma faltered, waving one hand in the air as she took in Regina's body. "Perfect."

Regina smiled weakly at that. "My ex-husband was the first person I was ever with. After he left, I had a stupid one-night stand that didn't lead to anything. That's all."

"But…" Emma tried again, swallowing thickly. "Every time you go out, people must be throwing themselves at you."

"I don't go out much."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to," Regina said, and she was suddenly regretting ever inviting Emma back here. It had been too much too fast, and Emma obviously thought she was some kind of hermit now. She was doing this all wrong and any second now this ridiculous, beautiful woman would grimace and make her excuses and edge past her and Regina would be left alone to—

"Regina," Emma gently interrupted her thoughts. She was still standing several paces away. "Why do you look like that?"

"Like what?"

"Sad," Emma offered. "And scared."

Regina didn't reply, because she wasn't used to spending time with someone who saw so much of her without her realising that she was showing it. Emma's sea-green eyes must have some kind of magic flowing through them.

When she was met with silence, Emma gently added, "I'm not going to pressure you – you know that, right? I wouldn't have forced my way in here if you hadn't asked me to come."

Regina nodded. "I know. I'm just… nervous."

Emma considered asking why, but she already knew: Regina wanted something from her, and it was something she'd never wanted from anyone before. She knew first-hand how terrifying that could be.

"Look," Emma said, holding her hands out like she was trying to prove that she wasn't armed. "There's no pressure. I really am happy to just have a drink and then leave again – I'm not making any assumptions. Okay?"

She waited for Regina to nod and reply "Okay" and lead her into the living room for a glass of wine. She would have been aggressively fine with that – she could still see Regina's eyes swimming, and all she wanted was for her to take a deep breath and calm down and then maybe open up a bit more so that Emma could learn just another single thing about her.

But Regina didn't reply again. She was watching Emma with a crease in her forehead and a slight pout to her lips.

Suddenly afraid that she had already overstayed her welcome, Emma asked, "Regina? Do you want me to leave?"

That finally snapped Regina out of her panic. Dragging Emma there had been the stupidest and boldest thing she'd ever done in her life, and the thought of her leaving again because Regina hadn't been brave enough to do the one thing she'd been think about for weeks made her straighten her shoulders and harden her resolve. Need overtook her, and it was far stronger than the nerves that were plucking at her intestines like harp strings.

She stumbled forward and nearly collided with Emma in her haste to kiss her. Emma blinked as their lips met, staggering back a step to try and regain her footing. Her hands were still awkwardly held out and Regina gripped her outstretched wrists immediately, like she was trying to stop her from running away even though it was painfully obvious to both of them that she had no intention of doing so.

For someone who always seemed so calm and put-together, it was surprising that Regina's kisses were quite so frantic. Her touch was needy and her breathing was coming fast, and Emma could feel the nerves vibrating through her. Regina had no idea what she was doing, and it was totally endearing. She was kissing Emma like it was her first time kissing anyone, and when their teeth clashed together, Emma just moaned.

She pulled her arms free of Regina's grip and gently took hold of her waist, nudging her back until she bumped against the nearest wall. As soon as Regina let out a gasp of surprise, Emma took over the kiss, carefully parting Regina's lips with her own and kissing her so slowly that time seemed to stop around them.

She'd never kissed anyone like this before. Emma had no patience and rarely dragged things out when she could just get right down to the fun stuff, but at that moment she was intent on doing this properly. Regina's body was softening with sheer relief, and when Emma felt a set of greedy hands slip around the back of her neck, she knew she'd made the right call.

Regina moaned against her and pushed herself forward, pressing her chest hard against Emma's, and Emma took the hint: she thrust Regina more firmly against the wall, using her hips to pin her there. At once, she felt Regina tremble. The hands on the back of her neck slid higher and crawled into her hair, and Emma tried not to moan out loud at the shiver they sent rushing through her body.

She could hear Regina struggling to catch her breath and, as their kisses grew faster and more urgent, her hips started to grind forward. Her nerves had vanished, apparently, and she was hungrily sliding her tongue into Emma's mouth to try and bring her to the same state of deliriousness that she was experiencing. She couldn't know just how wet Emma already was, nor how hard her heart was pounding, because Emma was determined to make this whole thing about Regina and not distract her with her own demands or pleas. She ignored the pooling warmth in her panties and pressed herself harder against Regina's wriggling body, and when Regina suddenly bit down on her lower lip, she knew what was coming next.

"The couch," Regina gasped out, her lips still half pressed against Emma's. "Through there."

"No," Emma replied. If she was about to drag Regina over the ledge into her first time with a woman, it needed to be right – she deserved better than a quick screw on a sofa.

Emma pulled back and grabbed Regina's wrist. "Where's your bedroom?"

Regina didn't respond – she just stepped away from the wall and walked purposefully toward the staircase, pulling Emma along behind her. Emma's grip shifted on her wrist and all of a sudden their hands were clasped together, their fingers tangling as Regina all but dragged her up the stairs.

They walked into the master bedroom and Regina quickly shut and locked the door – a force of habit, even though Henry was several miles across town. The clicking sound sent something hot and jumpy through her, and before she knew it, she was pausing again. Her hand stayed on the door handle.

Emma saw her go still and tried to calm her breathing down.

"Hey," she said softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "You okay?"

She sounded genuinely concerned, and it was all the reassurance Regina needed. She turned around with resolve plastered all over her face. "I'm fine."

She still looked impossibly tightly wound, though, so Emma grinned.

"You know I've already seen you naked, right?"

There was a pause, and for a second Emma wanted to kick herself. But then Regina was laughing, and it was deep and carefree and ridiculous. A second later, she was stumbling forward again, wrapping herself around Emma like she was trying to climb a tree.

Emma staggered back and felt her legs hit the edge of the bed. As soon as she'd toppled onto it, Regina came down after her, straddling her waist and bending forward to dip her tongue back into her mouth.

Gripping hold of her hips, Emma arched up into her. Regina smelled impossibly good and her mouth still tasted like red wine, and the way her hands were skimming down her body made her feel hot and glittery all over. She noticed that Regina was avoiding certain areas, though – only focusing on her shoulders or waist, but never straying too close to her breasts – and the fact that she was still slightly nervous made Emma feel determined and enamoured in equal measure.

She grabbed Regina's waist and flipped her over, pinning her down against the sheets. Regina gasped and stared wide-eyed up at her, her lipstick now all but gone from her mouth.

"What are you doing?"

"Have you ever done anything with a woman?" Emma asked. The question made Regina blush.

"What? Why?"

"Because I want to know."

"I… No. Nothing."

"But you want to do this?" Emma clarified. Regina's impatient eye roll made her want to laugh.

"No, Emma. I'm soaking wet and two seconds away from fucking you because I'm just a little bored this evening. That's all."

"Don't be cheeky with me," Emma replied, releasing Regina's wrists and placing her hands on her stomach. It was taut with both anticipation and inhuman abdominal muscles, and she felt her entire pussy throb all over again. "I just don't want to pressure you into anything."

The amused look Regina shot her was a little unnecessary considering the panic that had been fluttering over her face 10 minutes earlier, but the arch of her eyebrow still managed to do unspeakable things to Emma's insides.

She decided to ignore Regina's eternal hypocrisy and dove forward for another kiss, surprising her with the intensity of it.

As Regina moaned and wriggled beneath her, Emma slid her hands down the front of her chest and began to slowly open the buttons on her shirt. She waited for Regina to tell her to stop, but she just gripped her hips harder.

"Tell me if it's too much," she murmured, and Regina just ignored her. She lifted her head off the sheets and kissed her again, grazing her tongue over Emma's and smirking when she turned to Jell-O.

Emma had seen Regina naked a handful of times already, but slowly revealing her body by opening her shirt button by button was the most exhilarating thing she'd ever done. Every new inch of bronzed skin made her breath catch, and eventually the kissing stopped altogether so Emma could focus properly on the task in hand. She could feel Regina watching her as she did so.

"Fuck," Emma hissed as the shirt came apart and Regina was left lying in her black bra and skirt.

"You've seen all this before," Regina pointed out.

"I know that. It's not the same."

"It's not?"

"No," Emma said firmly, cupping Regina's breasts and squeezing. Regina's eyes flickered closed at once, whatever comment she'd been able to make slipping away from her. "It's not."

Regina arched her back and pushed herself harder into Emma's hands, and when she felt the cups of her bra being peeled down, she didn't resist. Excitement and nerves were sparking in the pit of her stomach and all they were doing was making her wetness grow and grow with every single second. She'd never been that soaked before – her panties were plastered to her skin and it was verging on being uncomfortable, and yet she didn't care. She wanted Emma to tug them off and thrust two fingers so hard into her that she saw stars.

She was torn from her reverie by the feeling of a tongue lapping over one nipple. Her hands automatically found their way into Emma's hair, and as soon as she fisted them to hold her more firmly against her chest, she felt Emma's resolve harden. She dragged her tongue slightly harder over her skin before sucking the nipple into her mouth, making it stiff and aching for more. When Regina moaned and bucked beneath her, Emma lifted her left hand and gently pinched the other nipple. The hands in her hair suddenly gripped her tighter.

"Emma," Regina gasped, her eyes snapping open. Emma's body was hot and firm on top of her and the feeling of being pinned down by it – somehow tenderly and aggressively all at the same time – made her pussy clench.

Emma hesitated. "Is this okay?"

"Will you stop asking that?" Regina snapped. Her impatience just made Emma laugh, and she pinched Regina's nipple slightly harder. Regina moaned and threw her head back, pleasure shooting through every nerve in her poor, needy body.

"Fuck me."

She bit the words out without meaning to, and she felt Emma's surprise as she lifted her head from her chest. "Already?"

"Yes," Regina gritted out. She was breathing hard and her hips wouldn't lie still, and just the sight of Emma looking curiously down at her made her stomach boil. "Right now."

"But we've—"

"I need you," Regina interrupted, practically whining in her desperation. Her panties were flooded and her thighs were starting to stick together beneath her skirt. She could suddenly feel her pulse in the soles of her feet and in the fingertips that were now digging painfully into Emma's shoulders.

Emma looked pretty smug at that. "Well. Good to know."

Regina couldn't even come up with a witty response to that, because her body was starting to fall apart. It had been 11 months since she'd last had sex – even longer since she'd been fucked properly, because her husband had gotten bored of her around the two-year mark and had seemingly forgotten where her clit was – and just the feeling of Emma slowly working her way down her body was making her brain short circuit. Regina's fingers were gripping hold of her like she was terrified she was about to pull away without making her come, because she needed that orgasm like air and she honestly thought she might die if she was left disappointed.

Emma, though, had one very specific goal in mind, and that was to make Regina come so hard, so many times that she ended up whimpering and pleading and practically kicking Emma away from her. She'd already heard the way Regina gasped her name, and she'd seen the desperate glimmer in her eye, and she wanted to spend the rest of the night committing it all to memory.

She pulled away from Regina's chest and slipped down her body, kissing her across her stomach and ribs as she sought out the zipper at the back of her skirt. Regina lifted her hips with a faint moan, helping Emma peel the fabric down her thighs. When the skirt had been tossed onto the floor behind them, Emma trailed her fingers down the front of Regina's panties. They were wet and sticking to her skin, and Regina's eyes fluttered shut the second she felt the new contact.

Emma paused.

"You're sure you want this?" she said. She was mostly asking because she wanted Regina to scowl up at her again, and when she did, Emma promptly yanked her panties to one side and smeared the whole flat of her palm against her pussy.

"Oh, God," Regina gasped, her hips bucking up. Her entire body was already throbbing from sheer need, and when she felt Emma's thumb graze purposefully over her clit, she thought she might cry. "Get your face between my legs. Right now."

Emma grinned at the panted demand and did as she was told. Only pausing to remove Regina's panties entirely, she settled down on her stomach and pushed Regina's thighs apart. They were trembling slightly, and her skin was burning. Emma moaned and ducked her head toward one of them, dragging her tongue up the inside of it so she could taste the beads of sweat that were starting to spring up. Regina gasped at the feeling and slipped a hand back in Emma's hair, trying to guide her toward her aching pussy, but Emma gently disentangled herself. She moved to the other thigh, lifting it slightly so she could kiss the join of Regina's kneecap. That tiny, tender gesture made Regina release a sound that was so close to a whimper that Emma felt her entire body light up.

When Emma finally slipped her tongue between Regina's folds, the world stopped moving. Regina threw her head back with a long sigh that screamed sheer gratitude, and Emma felt herself go momentarily blind from the pleasure of actually getting to taste her. She was sticky and smoky and as Emma felt her wetness slicking across her tongue and lips and chin, she couldn't help but sigh. Above her, Regina's shirt was still open and her bra was tugged down beneath her breasts, and she looked wild and out of control and totally beautiful. As soon as the flat of Emma's tongue dragged over her clit, she bucked up and moaned out loud, wordlessly pleading with Emma to go faster.

Emma ignored her. She was in no rush.

She eased one hand beneath her chin and gently dipped a finger inside, shivering when Regina's grip tightened on her hair. It was even more enjoyable to pull that finger free again and place it wetly on the outside of Regina's thigh, her tongue continuing to slowly, slowly drag its way up Regina's pussy until her entire body was trembling.

Regina groaned and bucked up. "Emma, please. Please."

Emma hummed to let her know she'd heard her, but she didn't pick up the speed. She had Regina's clit in her mouth and she was gently sucking on it like she was waiting for it to melt on her tongue.

Regina lifted her hips in frustration, and it was only when she felt tears prickling in her eyes that she realised she was close to coming. She gasped at the sudden awareness and gripped Emma's head harder, soaking up the sparking in her fingers and toes. She heard herself cry out, and it was a sound she'd never made before – it was sharp and pleading and it came from somewhere that might have been her heart, and she felt Emma's lips curve up into a smile when she heard it.

That was all it took. Regina's back arched off the bed and she came hard, her nails digging into Emma's scalp as she continued to slowly ravish her like nothing in the world could stop her. Her tongue was determined and steady, and as Regina came and came she realised that she'd never been fucked by someone's mouth before. People had gone down on her like it was an unfortunate rung on a ladder they were intent on climbing as soon as possible, but Emma had set up camp there. Even when Regina thought she was empty and her pussy was fluttering with protest, Emma's tongue kept on sweeping through her, deliberately avoiding her sensitive clit but smearing her wetness as far as it could go until Regina felt herself go boneless.

"You can stop," she heard herself croak. Her voice was shaky and her vision wasn't as sharp as usual.

Emma pulled back by an inch, and Regina took a deep breath. She felt like she was floating.

It was her turn now. But as much as she wanted to dive between Emma's thighs and make her sigh and moan and tremble, she wasn't sure how to go about any of that. She knew how to please men, sure, but women were different. Complicated. They wanted more and they deserved more.

Emma deserved more – that much, she was certain of.

But then she felt a pair of hands on her hips, and before she could fully lift her head or stiffen her spine, she was being flipped over. She landed on her stomach with a gentle thump, and then the rest of her shirt was being tugged from her.

"Emma," Regina whimpered into the sheets, realising a split second too late that she'd never whimpered in her life before that night. "What are you doing?"

"You're not done," Emma said, dropping the silky shirt on the floor before unhooking Regina's crumpled bra. Regina didn't resist as it was pulled off of her body, and even when she realised that she was suddenly fully naked in front of another woman, she didn't care. She just moaned into the comforter and wished, however selfishly, that Emma was about to fuck her for real.

Two fingers slipped inside her and she instantly gasped with both relief and thick need. She could feel how slick and unresisting her pussy was in the way Emma's fingers plunged inside her, and the strange squelching noise that accompanied the movement didn't even embarrass her. She'd never been that wet before in her entire life, and before she could think about what she was doing, she felt herself arching her spine so that her ass was lifted higher. Emma groaned behind her.

"Fuck," she murmured, placing her spare hand under Regina's hip so she could hold her in position. Her skin was smooth and impossibly warm, and Emma could feel her trembling as two demanding fingers plunged back inside her.

"Another," Regina gasped, her voice muffled by the sheets. She was clutching them in one fist, and already Emma hated the fact that she couldn't see the expression on her face.

"Look at me."

Regina groaned. "What?"

"Look at me," Emma repeated, "and then you'll get another finger."

Regina whined and lifted her face free at once. "You're so demanding."

"Says the woman begging to be fucked harder?" Emma asked. Regina's cheeks were already pink but they flushed deep red at that. It killed Emma that she couldn't bend forward far enough to kiss them.

But she had Regina's frantic eyes on her, and she was nothing but a woman of her word. She easily slid a third finger inside, watching as the gratitude ebbed over her face, and just like that Regina's embarrassment was gone again. She moaned and rocked back so she could thrust her cunt harder against Emma's hand. Emma could feel her walls squeezing, desperately trying to cling onto her, and she felt a shiver rush through her entire body with enough force to steal the breath from her lungs.

"Get up on your knees," she said, and Regina scrabbled to comply. Pleasure was already building up inside her and even though her earlier orgasms had barely left her, she needed another one like it her life depended on it.

As soon as she was kneeling with her elbows planted on the bed, Emma drove back into her, using her hips to guide her forward. Regina gasped with delicious surprise, and Emma realised it was her new favourite noise in the world – that, teamed with the sound of slick heat seeping from between her thighs.

When Regina all but cried out, Emma suddenly realised that it would be all too easy to fall in love with this woman. She was wriggling and rocking back and gripping the sheets like she was trying to hold herself together, and when Emma reached round her to gently roll her palm over her clit, Regina stopped succeeding. She let out a shriek of pleasure that shook her thighs, and as Emma started to fuck her harder, Regina's head dropped. She rested her forehead against her arms and let out a shaky breath, and as the orgasm that was twisting its way up and up and up from the soles of her feet finally reached her torso, she let go. Her howl of relief climbed the walls, and Emma felt her hand get suddenly soaked as Regina came with enough force to nearly push her out of her pussy entirely.

Regina tumbled back down to the sheets, her entire body damp and boneless, and she wasn't entirely surprised to realise that she was crying. There was a stupid grin on her face, though, and her hands were trembling, and behind her she could feel Emma tentatively crawling on top of her so she could push her hair away from her face.

"Regina?" she asked. Regina opened her eyes just in time to catch the anxious look on her face. "Shit. Are you—?"

"I'm fine," Regina interrupted her, her voice cracking. "More than fine. I'm just…"

She rolled onto her back, Emma still hovering above her, and tried to think of the right words.

"No one's ever paid that much attention to me before."

Emma's worry immediately melted into a smile. "Well. Men are awful."

"They are," Regina agreed. When Emma reached out to wipe the tears off her face, Regina laughed. "They really are."

Once Emma had finished drying her cheeks, she pulled away and lay down beside her, staring up at the ceiling with a satisfied grin on her face. It was deeply weird, Regina thought, that she could look so content when she hadn't even come yet.

Regina's earlier nerves vanished like a wisp of smoke, and she pushed herself up onto her knees with a resolute expression on her face. Emma blinked at her.

"What?"

"Don't you want me to return the favour?"

Emma laughed at the outrage in her voice. "I mean – not necessarily. Only if you want to."

"Why wouldn't I want to?"

"Because this was your closet-leaving experience and I don't want you to do anything just because you feel like you should," Emma said, propping herself up on her elbows.

"But I do want to," Regina said, surprising herself with how much she meant it. Her whole body still felt loose and she was certain her pelvis would be aching the next day, and she already couldn't wait for that kind of discomfort. She wanted to remember this until the day she died, so she might as well get the entire experience.

The second she found herself wondering exactly what Emma's pussy tasted like, she knew there was no turning back.

"You're still dressed," Regina pointed out before Emma could make another protest about sensitivity.

"Do you want me to do something about that?"

"Yes. Now."

"God, you're bossy," Emma grumbled, although she was still smirking. She clambered off Regina's bed and turned to face her. "I have to admit I'm not that good at strip teases."

"Good. I don't want to be teased," Regina said, leaning back on her hands. "I just want you naked."

Emma shivered at that, and she tipped back her head with a sigh. "Don't say stuff like that."

"Take your clothes off, and then I'll stop talking."

Regina sounded remarkably confident for someone who hadn't even seen a naked woman outside of porn or the gym changing rooms prior to that moment, but need was starting to prickle at her fingertips and all of her coyness and uncertainty had vanished for good. She wanted to pin Emma down and make her moan. She wanted to pepper sharp little kisses over her ribcage and make her ache tomorrow.

She was so lost in that thought that she almost missed Emma undressing altogether. She was tugging her sweater off, leaving her blonde curls in a mess of static, before reaching down to unzip her jeans. When those were off and she was left in her underwear, she looked at Regina expectantly.

"And the rest," Regina said, her breathing quickening. Emma immediately reached behind her and unhooked her bra.

She left her panties on, though, and Regina looked down at them with annoyance. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving these on," Emma said, climbing back onto the bed. She straddled Regina's outstretched legs and kissed her. "Just for now."

"Why?"

Emma dipped her head and pressed her lips against Regina's jaw.

"Because I really like it when a woman teases me through my panties at first," she murmured. Regina shuddered, her eyes closing of their own accord.

"Oh," she said, suddenly nervous again. Her fingers were twitching. "Can I…?"

Emma pulled back and waited for Regina to meet her gaze. "I'm going to help you. Okay?"

"Okay," Regina replied, nodding eagerly. Emma kissed her again before reaching out for her wrist.

Regina didn't resist as her hand was guided toward the fabric between Emma's thighs. The second the tips of her fingers brushed against it, she groaned.

"Oh my God," she muttered, dragging her finger up the very centre. "I can feel how wet you are."

Emma didn't even respond to that: her hands were gripping Regina's shoulders and her head had fallen forward. She took a shaky breath.

"Is this okay?" Regina asked. Her question was immediately met with a violent nod.

"God, yes."

"What do I…?" Regina started to ask, hating herself for not knowing until Emma gripped her wrist harder and ground down against her fingers.

"Just keep doing this," she gasped, her eyes still squeezed shut. "And don't judge me too much if I come in like, 10 seconds."

Regina laughed out loud, her confidence suddenly renewed, and pressed her fingers harder against the wet fabric. She could feel the heat of Emma's skin beneath it and all she wanted to do was tug the panties off her and dive between her legs.

She nudged the fabric to one side and slipped a single finger beneath it. Emma's entire body went rigid as she gasped, "Oh, fuck."

"Bad?" Regina asked, although she knew the answer already.

"No, good – good, good, good."

Emma repeated the word to herself like a mantra as Regina's fingers got braver, delving deeper into her panties and finally sliding inside her pussy. It was hot and slick and Regina recognised the aching, grasping sensation from her own body. She tentatively pushed in further, watching for any sign of displeasure on Emma's face, but all she saw was awe and gratitude and a faint need to hold herself back.

Regina wasn't happy about that.

She yanked her hand free and snapped, "Take them off."

Emma didn't make a comment this time – she just did as she was told. The black panties went sailing down to the carpet and then Emma was naked – toned and trembling and slightly sweating – and she was perfect. Regina sighed at the sight of her.

"I need to taste you," she said. Emma immediately dove forward and kissed her, her tongue greedy and demanding as it slid into her mouth.

"You need to stop saying stuff like that," she muttered against the corner of her mouth.

"Why?"

"Because you're going to make me come before you've even fucked me."

Regina smirked. "Well. We can't have that."

She let go of Emma's waist and fell down onto her back, pausing to fluff up her hair and spread it around her because even then, she knew the benefit of looking as good as possible. Emma watched her go, confusion tweaking at her features.

"Are we done?" she asked.

"No," Regina rolled her eyes. "Come here."

"Where?"

"Here," Regina said, gesturing to her own mouth. "Right now."

All the blood rushed into Emma's pussy and she nearly groaned out loud. "You want me to ride your face?"

"More than anything," Regina said, losing patience and reaching out for Emma's hand. She pulled her forward, and Emma immediately began crawling. "Just tell me if I'm doing it wrong."

"Oh, sweet fucking hellfire," Emma murmured to herself, reaching Regina's torso and climbing on top of it. She paused before shuffling forward. "You're sure—?"

"Shut up," Regina interrupted, grabbing her by her ass and tugging her forward. Emma fell forward, catching herself on the mattress just above Regina's head, and before she had time to fully absorb what position she was in, she felt something wet and determined snaking between her legs.

"Oh my God," she blurted out, forcing herself upright so she could look down at Regina's face between her legs. Her eyes were dark and flashing, and although Emma couldn't see her mouth, she could feel the havoc it was wreaking on her body.

Maybe Regina had watched a lot of lesbian porn in her spare time, or maybe she really was just that good at absolutely everything, because her tongue was lapping at Emma's clit with just the right amount of pressure to make her bones go weak. Emma could feel the faintest nip of her teeth grazing against her skin, and she groaned out loud. Her pussy grasped around nothing as it waited to be fucked as roughly as she really wanted.

Her thighs were already starting to shake with the exertion of not sitting too firmly on Regina's chest, and Regina noticed at once. She tapped Emma's hip impatiently and guided her lower, her hands sliding round to cup her ass. She used her new grip to rock Emma forward, giving her a better chance to grind her tongue against her, and when Emma instantly gasped and writhed against her face, she knew she had it figured out.

Emma leaned forward against the mattress and breathed heavily, a corkscrew of sheer pleasure beginning to twist within her abdomen. Everything felt hot and sparkly and she couldn't sit still. Gripping the sheets harder, she rolled her hips forward so she could feel the brush of Regina's nose against her clit, and when Regina moaned from beneath her, it was too much. Her orgasm rained down on her without a word of warning and Emma actually shrieked from the shock of it, her body trembling and arching and desperately grinding down against Regina's face as she tried to drag it out for as long as possible.

Regina held her steady, soaking up the taste of her. It was everything and nothing like she'd been expecting. Her own body was tingling again and she suddenly realised that they were going to be here all night, fucking each other over and over again to see who could make the other scream the loudest, and she grinned against Emma's pussy at the mere thought of it. She thought about all the sex toys she had stashed away in her closet, and she wondered if Emma would be opposed to using some of them together.

When Emma finally came down from her climax, she shakily climbed off Regina's face and tumbled to the sheets beside her. She looked slightly shell-shocked.

Regina rolled onto her side so she could look at her.

"Are you alright?"

Emma just laughed. "Yeah. I think so."

She lifted her hand and rubbed it over her forehead, grimacing when it came away damp.

"Is it going to sound like I'm fishing for compliments if I ask whether that was okay?" Regina mused. Emma snorted again.

"Give me a second to regain consciousness and then I'll see about answering that."

Regina smirked to herself and shuffled closer. Her heart was still pounding, and she was slightly alarmed to realise how much she missed having Emma's hands on her.

Emma felt her moving toward her and rolled over to meet her, pressing their lips firmly together. Regina's mouth tasted of her. Her hands immediately reached out to grip Emma's hips.

"Thank you," Regina murmured when they pulled apart.

"For what?"

"You know what."

"I don't," Emma insisted. "I have to assumed you've had an orgasm before."

"Of course I have – but not like that."

Now it was Emma's turn to look smug. "Really?"

"Shut up," Regina nudged her. "The men I've been with before were… I don't know. Selfish."

"They were men," Emma interjected, expecting another nudge. Regina just shrugged.

"I guess they were."

"But this was… okay, right?"

Regina looked bemusedly back at her. "It was really, very okay. I'm just wondering why it took me so long to discover women, to be honest."

Emma grinned. "We are pretty great."

"Yes. And this woman," Regina said, tapping Emma's shoulder, "is definitely pretty great."

She thought she might melt when Emma's cheeks turned a happy shade of pink.

"I'm glad you think so," she said, trying and failing to sound casual as she ran her hands over her messy hair. "It's getting really late, by the way – do you want me to leave?"

"Why would I want that?"

"I don't know. Your… kid."

Regina quirked an eyebrow at her. "You think my son's going to wander back in at 2am? He's gone until tomorrow, Emma."

"Oh," Emma said, pausing. "So, there's no rush for me to go?"

"None at all."

"I see." Emma paused again, glancing down at Regina's naked body. "You want to know another great thing about women?"

"Tell me."

"We can go on," Emma murmured, trailing her finger down Regina's side and watching the way she shivered, "and on, and on. All night."

And just like that, Regina's body was aching all over again. "Is that so?"

"Mm."

"And what about after tonight?" Regina asked. "Should I even bother coming back to class anymore, or are you going to be tired of seeing me naked by then?"

Emma's eyes crinkled at the sides. "Somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"Then why aren't you kissing me?" Regina demanded. With a short laugh, Emma rolled toward her and pressed their lips together, melting into Regina's body as it hummed and warmed beneath hers. She felt so soft and small, and Emma's fingers yearned to touch every single inch of her.

"What time will your son be back?" she suddenly asked. Regina stared at her lips as they moved away, her eyes narrowing like she was furious at them for leaving her.

"Not until after school tomorrow."

"Great," Emma murmured, dipping beneath Regina's jaw and kissing her throat in a way that made her toes curl. "Then I probably have just about enough time."

THE END